Two men in their 50s have been charged in a series of liquor thefts across the Lower Mainland, including a number in Burnaby.
Surrey RCMP launched an investigation in February after a string of liquor-store thefts in their city.
“Through investigation, officers determined that the thefts were being carried out by two individuals allegedly working together to steal alcohol from liquor stores across the Lower Mainland region,” stated an RCMP news release. “One of the men was allegedly stealing merchandise, and the other man was allegedly using his taxicab to facilitate their movement from store to store.”
Two men, 51-year-old Travis Emard West of Langley and 54-year-old Gurmukh Singh Thiara of Surrey, were arrested in March and charged this month with a total of 48 offences in relation to thefts from West Vancouver to Abbotsford between December 2020 and March 2021.
West, who remains in custody, has been charged with 26 counts of theft under $5000 and 12 counts of failing to comply with release orders.
Thiara, who is currently out on bail, has been charged with four counts of possession of property obtained by crime, four counts of theft under $5,000 and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Eight of the charges relate to incidents in Burnaby, according to Surrey RCMP.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.solvecrime.ca.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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